A Stranger At Home
by Ink Penn
Summary: After seven years of separation, Kai returns to Japan for Takao – only to discover that Takao had an accident, causing him to lose his memory. Chiefly :KaixTakao:


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**DISCLAIMER**: Beyblade has been created by Aoki Takao–sensei. I make no money through this piece of fanfiction and no infringement is intended.

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A Stranger at Home

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**Notes and Summary: **Post-Anime. The author has been unlucky enough to have not read the manga and hence, this is AU for manga. 

After seven years of separation, Kai returns to Japan for Takao – only to discover that Takao had an accident, causing him to lose his memory. Chiefly Kai x Takao

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**Chapter 1**

**After Seven Years**

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Daichi stifled a yawn and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Although he was pretty worried about Takao, he couldn't help feeling sleepy. Anyway, it was Takao's fault that he had been getting so little sleep lately. On top of it, his prep classes were a tiresome burden. He would be really lucky if he was able to get into any college – what with worrying about Takao and all. It wasn't _his_ business to worry about Takao, of course. But since no one else had seemed to notice anything, it had somehow become Daichi's responsibility. It was so _awful_… he couldn't even talk about it to anyone. It wasn't that there was no one to talk to but the weird nature of the subject plaguing his thoughts. 

Moreover, as if Takao hadn't been giving him enough trouble already, he had gone and crashed his bike at four in the morning. So that he, Daichi, along with Gramps and Rei, had forgone sleeping in on this Sunday midsummer morning and rushed to the hospital at an ungodly hour.

The teen sat silent in a corner of the waiting-room. He knew that voicing his annoyance with Takao would only earn him a smack on the head from Gramps and a nasty look from Rei. None of them were as bothered with Takao as he, Daichi, was before this – they won't understand anything!

Daichi was determined to have nothing more to do with Takao and his issues. If he wanted to go to hell, he was extremely welcome to carry out his resolution – in fact, so could Kai. And while he was at it, it would be good if Hiromi and Rei and everyone else including that stupid girl who had been bothering him lately could do so as well – damn, damn, damn them all!

"Daichi!"

He turned to find Rei glaring menacingly at him.

"What's with the cursing, monkey? You're in a hospital – even _you_ have to behave here!"

Daichi hadn't realized that he had spoken out aloud. However, he only rolled his eyes at Rei's reprimand.

"Stop panicking! There's probably nothing wrong with Takao – a few bruises maybe – and some delirious fans carry him to the hospital!"

"Why you little…"

"Stuff it, you two," said Gramps, stopping his restless pacing for a second.

Rei narrowed his eyes and looked away. Daichi stuck out his tongue at him. "You'll see that I am right soon!"

Unfortunately, he wasn't.

* * *

Pyotr Ostrovsky straightened the lapels of his coat and his tie, and took a deep breath. He still remembered the last time he had walked out of this office – he had been trembling with fury, not entirely unmixed with fear. Lately, Mr. Ivanov's temper had taken a turn for worse and Ostrovsky, who was more of a go-between for Mr. Ivanov and Mr. Hiwatari than the company's assistant manager, had to bear the brunt of it. It wasn't the first time it had happened. It probably won't be the last. But it was definitely one of the worst. He was determined to survive it. 

His countenance steadied into professional hardiness and he knocked on the door. Mr. Ivanov usually retired to his study until two o'clock at night and hated being disturbed. However, this was an extremely important matter. If Mr. Hiwatari had done what he thought he had done, then they were in for a very long day tomorrow.

"Enter."

The tone would be far more befitting to a string of blasphemy. But Ostrovsky ignored it.

"What do you want?"

Mr. Ivanov sat emotionless, and apparently idle, behind his bare desk. Ostrovsky was a little surprised. Usually, the heavy mahogany table-top would be cluttered with papers, books and ink. But now, only a single small sheet of paper lay in front of him. Ostrovsky thought it was a picture. He couldn't be sure though, as one slim white arm rested on it, shielding it from sight.

"I apologize for disturbing…"

"Just get to the point already!"

"I apologize for the late hour, Mr. Ivanov, tomorrow is the day for the first meeting with…"

"Is it about Hiwatari? I don't know where Hiwatari is – it's his own business. Get lost now."

"But, sir…"

"Postpone the meeting – I'm leaving for England tomorrow and you know it."

"Yes, sir, however…"

"Postpone the meeting – this isn't my company… why the fuck do I care what becomes of it?"

"Mr. Iva…"

"Get lost, or lose your job, Ostrovsky," cut in Yuriy Ivanov curtly. "I am not in the mood for this – I am very much _not_ in the mood for this!"

Pyotr weighed his options – it wasn't unusual for Mr. Ivanov to threaten the employees that he would fire them. He had actually fired quite a number of people in his fury but called them back the next day as if nothing had been the matter between them. He was frightening like this, no doubt, but if the company suffered tomorrow… no, Pyotr Ostrovsky would rather not face that day.

Trembling slightly, but determined, he said, "Mr. Ivanov, it is imperative that you do not leave for England tomorrow."

"_You're fired! Now get out!_"

Breathing heavily, Yuriy leaned back in his chair. What a mess! He knew why Kai had taken off in that manner. If Kinomiya Takao was _that_ important to him, then he shouldn't have kept away from him for all this time, anyway. But no, the great Hiwatari suddenly decides that Kinomiya Takao is _the_ most important person in this world and takes off as if nothing else matters, pressing Yuriy into putting off _his_ plans and handling those obnoxious old men.

Granted that Yuriy might have just provided a tiny bit of motivation to Kai by telling him that Takao was to be married in a fortnight… but he could have waited at least until _after_ this deal was over. He did this just to get on his nerves, Yuriy felt.

"Curse you!"

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"…_Wait for me, okay? I want to receive you at the airport, so don't wander off!!! Wait for me! I'll be there…"_

Late… Takao was late. It had been over two hours that he had been sitting here, waiting for him. He had almost expected that Takao would be on time – he had been so sure Takao would be the first person he'd see as soon as he got off the plane. Maybe he was being a little too optimistic there. But he had a valid excuse – he was happy. Yes, he was very happy.

But he was Kai Hiwatari, after all. He was quicker at getting annoyed than retaining happiness. Right now, his only thought was that he'd throttle Takao as soon as he set his eyes on him. Waiting at an airport – and waiting for a person rather than a plane – was way too irritating. He was damned if he was going to let Takao get away with it.

He had briefly wondered if something bad had happened… maybe the dojo had burned down when a lightning struck it as soon as Takao kept down the receiver, maybe Takao drowned in that koi pond, or maybe Daichi murdered him over the last ice-cream in the house. For all he knew, Takao had fallen asleep without setting the alarm for the right time and was still sleeping. One could easily expect Takao to do something of that nature.

He had considered calling the dojo. But something had held him back. He was here for very selfish reasons. He knew that there was going to be a lot of pain and anger. Maybe everyone would be initially happy to see him – for some reason beyond his understanding, those people were always happy to see him. He meted out the same cold treatment to them as any stranger, but his old team and 'friends' always received him as if he was the friendliest person they knew. He would probably never understand it. Not that it made him want to try – because it wasn't going to last. No, after this, they would probably treat him worse than they would treat an enemy.

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"Oi, wake up!" 

Daichi stretched out his legs and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Rei stood beside his chair with his right hand gripping Daichi's shoulder.

"Takao…?"

"Unconscious. We can take a look, but just that."

Rei pulled away his hand and thrust it into the pocket of his jacket. His face was grim and serious.

Daichi found that Takao had been brought into a room after the operation. His head and forearms were wrapped in bandages. The area was filled with the bright sunlight of the early noon.

"When will he wake up?" whispered Daichi. The atmosphere was so sombre that it had subdued his frustration. Actually, it terrified him so that he did not even move without reason. He felt as if the room was riddled with frail threads and even breathing wrongly could cause them to break and entangle.

"He's not in a coma," answered Rei, as if he was saying it to himself… reassuring himself.

Unsatisfied with the answer, Daichi glanced at Gramps who sat near Takao's bed. However, he couldn't bring himself to ask him anything.

"Shameless young man," said Gramps suddenly as he stood up, "worrying an old man at this age!"

And all of a sudden, the solemn ambience lightened to a brighter mood befitting the bright summer day. The unmistakable feeling of "everything would be all right" washed over him.

Gramps said that he would stay back with Takao and the other two should freshen up and have some breakfast. Neither Daichi nor Rei protested the arrangement. Feeling strangely like outsiders intruding on familial matters, they left Gramps with Takao.

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Something is very wrong, thought Kai, as he stepped out of the empty dojo. 

He had finally decided to get a taxi to the dojo. His anger had diffused with worry as he had gotten closer to the well-remembered place. He had been surprised at the silence that greeted him, especially since it was a Sunday morning. He had hurried inside and finding the door unlocked, ventured in as he felt that there was no one around.

He had walked about the rooms for a minute and when the nostalgia grew unbearable, he came out.

"Same as ever, though."

The air was warm with the smell of flowers and grass. If he hadn't seen it today, it would have been hard to imagine the dojo empty on such a day. It must have rained not long ago, he felt, as the summer wasn't stifling and it was pleasant under the shade of trees. He stood staring at the ground, wondering what he should do next.

Tyson hadn't answered his cell phone. Who else could he ask? Last he knew, Kyouju had moved to America for further studies.

_Hiromi_.

He didn't trust himself to be able to handle her right now. She had somehow managed to ensnare Takao and even got him to promise marriage. She couldn't possibly have been unaware of the fact that he liked Takao. Even so, she had tried to… interfere! He concluded that he would wait for some more time. Someone had to come back here eventually.

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"Whoa! Kai!!!" 

Daichi spun round, not believing his ears. What did Rei say?

"How'd you get here so soon?" Daichi asked, blinking stupidly.

"Huh?"

Kai's stare was cold as ever.

"I only left a message at your office a while ago…"

"What are you talking about?"

"About Takao… and the accident… and the…"

"Accident? Takao?" For a moment, Kai looked disoriented. "_What accident_?" he yelled out, the colour draining from his face.

Neither Rei nor Daichi had seen such intense emotion on Kai's face before. He stood rooted to the spot, coming to terms with the news.

"You… you want to go… hospital and all, you know?" asked Daichi.

"Yes… Yes… I'll go by myself! Just tell me the name…" murmured Kai, pressing a forefinger between his eyebrows.

"I'll get you a taxi," Daichi replied and ran out. He had immediately regretted his earlier offer. Somehow, he didn't want to stay alone with Kai. It was another thing to think about him as some distant figure in Russia who was messing up Takao's life and completely another to see him in flesh and blood, after all these years.

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Kai was staring blankly at the metallic bronze "204" for a while. He had been madly impatient all through the drive to the hospital and had rushed up to the room with frantic speed. His hand had trembled as he had advanced it towards the doorknob. Ultimately, he had withdrawn it and now, stood supporting himself against the wall. Rei and Daichi had looked relatively relieved, he told himself. He had to stop being foolish and just go in there. 

He stood up straight, somewhat calmer. He had almost lifted up his hand to knock but a pause later, brought it to the doorknob and entered the room.

His senses were as alert as if he had been in the midst of a Beybattle. He noticed the slightly ajar cupboard door at the same time as he took in the sight of Takao's bandaged head and arm on the opposite side of the room. However, it took him a full minute to realize that Takao was not unconscious. When he moved closer, brown eyes blinked up at him.

Feeling all strength leave his body, he sank down beside the bed and buried his face in his hands. He was so still in this position that he could have been mistaken to be praying silently to the figure on the bed, who had turned his head in his direction.

Slowly, Kai looked up, fearing that it had been an illusion and that Takao would be as dead as he had been in his wild imagination when he had first learnt of the mishap. His qualms were put to rest as Takao still gazed at him.

He bent forward and clutched the bed sheet near Takao's face. "You… you…" he whispered brokenly, "… are alright…"

Takao only frowned in reply. His eyes registered no emotion but incomprehension.

Kai rested his head on the bed, collecting his thoughts and composure. He neither noticed Takao's eyes water because of the growing ache in his head nor the almost inaudible and painful whisper of "Who're you?"

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End file.
